Friday, June 3, 2016

FAA Flight Standards District Office: FAA San Antonio FSDO-17NTSB Identification: CEN16LA20714 CFR Part 91: General AviationAccident occurred Friday, June 03, 2016 in Alamo, TXAircraft: SMITH Capella FW2TR, registration: N418DSInjuries: 1 Minor.This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.On June 3, 2016, about 1020 central daylight time, a Smith Capella Aircraft FW2TR (XLS) airplane, N418DS, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Alamo, Texas. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The local flight departed about 1000.According to the pilot, he was preparing to return to the airport when the engine lost power. The airplane was at 2,500 feet above ground level and the pilot continued towards the airport looking for a place to land. As he approached the airport his options diminished and during the forced landing to a smaller field the airplane hit a tree.

ALAMO – An experimental plane with a 98-year-old pilot crashed in south Alamo.DPS troopers, EMS crews, and firefighters are at the scene. The first responders checked on the pilot. He only had a slight cut on his wrist.The pilot was identified as Dick Smith. He told CHANNEL 5 NEWS he built the plane himself and usually flies in the area. Smith said he was in the Navy and has been flying for 70 years.The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane is a fixed-wing, single-engine aircraft or an experimental aircraft.Smith said he made the call to the traffic control just before he crashed in a tree.“I was in Edinburg playing around, practicing landings and having fun and headed home. The engine quit on the way home,” he said.DPS Lt. Johnny Hernandez said preliminary information suggests engine failure. They’re waiting for FAA officials to arrive and determine the cause of the crash.The accident happened on Whalen Road, between Ridge Road and Moore Road.According to FAA regulations, experimental aircraft certificates are issued to pilots in a few categories such as training, to market surveys and air racing.“Requirements of the FAA for a pilot’s license with endorsement of commercial pilot. So this is something that is very, very interesting to see a gentlemen or a person, still meeting the basic requirements physically for a commercial pilot’s license,” Emergency Management Coordinator George Garret said.The FAA added there is no age limit to fly. It all depends on how the person feels and if they have a pilot license.They are continuing their investigation how the plane crashed.Story and video: http://www.krgv.com

Chief Flight Nurse Bryan Williams describes an incident which occurred Thursday night where the Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa helicopter was targeted by three lasers from the ground while in flight to pick up a patient. Williams said while the pilot was distracted, no one was injured and the crew continued to its destination.

MASON CITY — A Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa helicopter was the target of three lasers Thursday night, aimed by someone on the ground.The pilot was distracted but neither he nor two crew members were injured, according to Chief Flight Nurse Bryan Williams. The incident occurred about 9:30 p.m.The ’copter had just taken off and was over the north end of downtown Mason City, said Williams, en route to pick up a patient. Contrary to social media reports, there was no patient aboard, he said.“It is very dangerous,” said Williams. “It has the potential of blinding someone or at the very least distracting the pilot or crew.”Williams has been with Mercy for 20 years and chief flight nurse for 17. This is the first time in his career an incident like this has occurred, he said.As per law, a report has been filed with the Federal Aviation Administration and will be turned over to the FBI for investigation because it is a federal offense, said Williams.Anyone arrested and convicted is subject to a $250,000 fine and 20 years in prison.Also, said Williams, there is a $10,000 reward for anyone providing information that leads to an arrest and conviction.Original article can be found here: http://globegazette.com

Rex Damschroder of Fremont says the layers of paint on his DC-3 tell the story of the plane's many different uses over the years.

FREMONT- Under a small hangar at the Fremont Airport sits a ragged, weathered DC-3, a plane that Rex Damschroder acknowledged has a colorful history with its prestigious military background and decades of use in various commercial pursuits.Built in 1943, the plane earned its place in aviation history during World War II as part of the June 6, 1944, D-Day invasion, as it transported paratroopers to northern France at Normandy.Damschroder, the airport's operator, wants to fix up the DC-3 for a return trip to France in 2019 for the 75th anniversary of D-Day and a re-enactment of the invasion. It's a mission that Damschroder, a longtime pilot, knows will be difficult but feasible, provided he can raise the estimated $250,000 needed for the plane's restoration and trip."You change the engines and paint it up and it's a feasible airplane," Damschroder said.The DC-3 that flew over Normandy with paratroopers on D-Day has been at the airport since 1988. It has lived a post-military life that's included stints as a plane for parachute jumpers and as a show plane at the Kings Island amusement park.Damschroder said one man who had worked on the plane told him there were rumors that it had been used for drug dealing at one point.When Damschroder's DC-3 was built, it originally was a C-53D. It was converted to a DC-3 after the war, Damschroder said, before it became part of the 8th Air Force and was used to carry paratroopers and tow gliders.He said the plane could probably hold up to 30 paratroopers per trip."It wasn't built for cargo. It was just for paratroopers," Damschroder said.Gene Damschroder, Rex's father, bought the plane in 1988 and flew it to the Fremont Airport, where it has been ever since.In restoring the plane, Damschroder started by stripping the paint. A closer look this week showed multiple layers of paint from the plane's past, evidence of its multiple owners in the decades after the war. Damschroder wants to strip it down and repaint it in its original Army green D-Day colors.

The interior needs some work and Damschroder said he hasn't started restoring the DC-3's cockpit.Since it's been at the Fremont Airport, the plane has sat in a hangar. Damschroder said the plane's engines are tested yearly and are in working condition.A small trail of oil could be seen on the ground under one of the plane's engines on Wednesday. Damschroder said it was common for older engines to leak oil and that it wasn't an issue with the plane's flying capability."Dad actually flew the plane. It's all here and it does run," Damschroder said.Like any plane from the World War II era, it's hard to find parts for a DC-3.Driving home the point, Damschroder showed off a rusted rudder in his airport office that fell off the plane.He said he drove to Topeka, Kansas, to find a replacement for the rudder.Damschroder, a former state legislator and longtime local political figure, has been flying planes for 50 years.As he walked around the DC-3 and described some of the paint stripping that's been done on the plane's exterior, Damschroder said there are three major challenges involved with his project: get the plane looking right, get it flying and raise the money needed for its restoration and flight to and from France.Organizers of the flight to Normandy want to get 25 DC-3s to make the trip, Damschroder said. He described the 75th anniversary as possibly the last time a living DC-3 crew member would be alive to commemorate the D-Day invasion.As for the plane, Damschroder said the DC-3 has no life limit, provided it receives the proper maintenance. The plane's wings don't move and it hasn't been corroded by saltwater, he said."It can go on for eternity, if you can take care of it," he said.For the trip to France, Damschroder plans to fly the plane there for the D-Day re-enactment.He said he had flown as a ferry pilot when he was younger and made 23 Atlantic Ocean crossings, ferrying planes across the ocean through Greenland and Iceland. On the 2019 trip, one of the big issues will be raising enough money to pay for the fuel needed to get the plane to and from France, Damschroder said.After the DC-3 returns from France, Damschroder said he would eventually like to turn the plane into a local "flying classroom" where students could come to the airport and learn about D-Day and World War II.His father was a Navy pilot, and Damschroder said the trip to France would be an adventure, as well as a way to salute World War II and its impact on American history."I think it was one of the largest, greatest wars of all time," Damschroder said.Story and photos: http://www.thenews-messenger.com

Kathryn's Report: http://www.kathrynsreport.comThe former head of the Atlanta airport, fired by Mayor Kasim Reed two weeks ago, has hired a law firm known for wrongful termination suits and whistleblower cases.Miguel Southwell, who was general manager of Hartsfield-Jackson International, retained Parks Chesin & Walbert to represent him, according to a letter to Reed’s office from attorney Lee Parks.The letter says Southwell was told his dismissal was due to recent long lines at the airport. But it suggests the mayor’s office wanted more control over contracts to be awarded during an upcoming wave of construction and remodeling projects.“It is inexplicable that you would claim that the long lines at the security check points were the reason for Mr. Southwell’s termination when you knew the solution (which was sent to you for review) was days away from implementation,” the letter said.“Is it a coincidence that the termination came on the eve of the award of some of the most lucrative contracts in the airport’s long and difficult history of patronage-based awards?”Reed in a written statement responded: “Miguel Southwell is struggling to rescue what remains of his career and this is evident in the fact that he is now making false statements against my Administration and me.”Reed said Southwell “never filed a complaint or made the false allegations he now makes today while unemployed. Mr. Southwell was an at-will employee and served at the pleasure of my appointment, according to state law. This is a desperate attempt to salvage his reputation.”Southwell led the world’s busiest airport for two years and has been replaced on an interim basis by its chief financial officer, Roosevelt Council.At a press conference after the ousting, Reed voiced concern about long Transportation Security Administration lines and other issues at the airport but declined to give specific reasons for firing Southwell, citing concerns about potential litigation.The letter from Southwell’s lawyer said the firm is “initiating an investigation” into the termination and asked for documents and other information from the city. Parks’ letter said “we hope the City will participate in settlement discussions or mediation at the conclusion of our investigation.”Southwell was “given just thirty minutes to make a major career decision and then ‘bull rushed’ out the door when he refused to resign, according to Parks’ letter, dated May 31. Southwell, who made $221,000 a year, was offered three months severance, the letter said. It said he did not have a chance to clean out his office or pick up personal belongings.The letter cited other tensions between Reed and Southwell, alleging Reed last year “made a statement to Mr. Southwell that you (Reed) thought he went out of his way to be independent of you, provided examples, and also made a statement to the effect that, ‘You worked in Miami. I thought you knew how things work,’ that can only be interpreted as a blunt reference to Miami International Airport’s own long and difficult history of patronage-based awards.”Southwell began his airport career in Atlanta but spent time at Miami International before returning to Hartsfield-Jackson.The Atlanta airport is embarking on a massive $6 billion expansion and renovation. Some contracts have been held up over disagreements on terms and timing.The letter from Southwell’s attorney said airport managers got “direction from senior officials of the City’s Procurement Department to take a number of actions that would impact the award of active procurements of concession and construction contracts … by causing the contracts to be awarded to companies other than the highest-ranked bidder…”It said such directions came “from the ‘second floor’ or ‘the Mayor.’”Mark Trigg, an attorney representing the city, responded to Parks, writing that “the implicit suggestion in your letter that there was any connection whatsoever between the termination of your client’s at-will employment and the airport’s procurement process is ridiculous, defamatory and has absolutely no basis in fact.”Trigg’s firm, Greenberg Traurig, also represented the city in lawsuits challenging airport concessions contract awards several years ago.Other recent issues at the airport include differing opinions on how deals should be structured between the airport, City Hall, and the many businesses that operate out of Hartsfield-Jackson including Delta Air Lines, contractors and taxi drivers. Issues have included concerns about contracting delays, cancelled procurements and disqualifications.Parks’ letter said Reed also saw Southwell’s insistence on fingerprint checks for ride-share drivers as an obstacle in the mayor’s desire to have Uber X and Lyft pickups approved.Trigg’s letter said the city will preserve documents as requested in the letter, but added: “If your client and your law firm truly believe that your client has a cause of action against the City, then file a frivolous lawsuit. You can rest assured that it will be vigorously and aggressively defended.”TWO SIDES“Is it a coincidence that the termination came on the eve of the award of some of the most lucrative contracts in the airport’s long and difficult history of patronage-based awards?” — Letter from Miguel Southwell’s attorney to Mayor Kasim Reed“Miguel Southwell is struggling to rescue what remains of his career and this is evident in the fact that he is now making false statements against my Administration and me…This is a desperate attempt to salvage his reputation.” — From Reed’s public responseOriginal article can be found here: http://www.ajc.com

Barkley Regional Airport in Paducah is celebrating 70 years of service this year. Vice President, and western Kentucky native, Alben Barkley was instrumental in its foundation. On Sounds Good, Matt Markgraf and Special Collections & Exhibits Librarian Sarah Hopley of Murray State University's Pogue Library explore the special collection documenting the correspondence between the Vice President and community leaders and a detailed account of what the early days looked like for the airport. Anyone who has gone through Barkley Regional Airport may have wondered why it's named after Vice President Alben Barkley. One one hand, it seems obvious that a prominent political figure from western Kentucky gets the namesake, but what may not be so widely known is just how instrumental Barkley was in bringing an airport to Paducah. At the time, the closest airport was in Nashville.The airport was established in this region as part of a federal effort to put airports in rural communities. Barkley and community leaders worked in bringing this funding to Paducah. Shortly after the funding was secured, WWII started and they had trouble bringing in commercial flights. The land was then leased to the government for military use.After WWII, the local airport commission tried to secure local flights and documents show complaints that the military didn't take very good care of the airport or do any further work on it in the time they operated it. Blueprints show a very simple airport at this time, where an administrative building was in an old farm house, the runway was unpaved, lighting was minimal or nonexistent.

Correspondence in the special collection between president of the Paducah Airport Corporation Ed Paxton and Barkley describe the efforts in securing early funding. One letter from 1950 requests $100,000 for a new plane parking space and new passenger and administrative building.Another document outlines wages paid to those who worked on the airport's construction. Minimum wage at the time was 75 cents, Hopley says, and many of the jobs paid two or three times this, suggesting that it was a fairly good job to have.The first commercial flight was on April 1, 1946. Former governor Keen Johnson came to speak. The Chicago and Southern Airlines were the first to fly in and out of Paducah along the Memphis to Detroit line. Flights from Chicago to Paducah were 2 hours and 39 minutes.Hopley says there was a boom in flying to small towns in the 1950s. A route map from the early part of the decade shows flights from Paducah to Cairo (30 minutes) or Evansville (90 minutes) and several small communities in Illinois and Indiana.Paducah was part of Ozark Airlines in the mid 50s. A brochure advertises flights to Fort Campbell, Clarksville, Nashville, Cairo, Marion and East St. Louis.Airlines came and went through Paducah's history fairly quickly, Hopley says. Some documents show an average of 1.4 passengers per day from Chicago to Paducah, which seems to suggest why these airlines weren't always profitable. Paducah serviced flights from American, Eastern and eventually United.Story, audio and slideshow: http://wkms.org

PHI Inc: http://registry.faa.gov/N4999FAA Flight Standards District Office: FAA Nashville FSDO-19NTSB Identification: ERA16LA202Nonscheduled 14 CFR Part 135: Air Taxi & CommuterAccident occurred Friday, June 03, 2016 in Mountain City, TNAircraft: BELL 407, registration: N4999Injuries: 1 Minor, 3 Uninjured.This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.On June 3, 2016, about 1345 eastern daylight time, a Bell 407, N4999, operated by PHI Air Medical, was substantially damaged during a forced landing to a parking lot, following a partial loss of engine power during initial climb near Mountain City, Tennessee. The commercial pilot incurred minor injuries. The two crewmembers and one patient were not injured. The on-demand air medical flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a company flight plan was filed for the flight that originated from the parking lot; destined to Johnson City Medical Center Heliport (TN91), Johnson City, Tennessee.The pilot stated that during initial climb, about 125 feet above ground level, he heard a loud "bang" that was accompanied by a left yaw and rapidly increasing measured gas temperature. The pilot advised the crewmembers that he was rejecting the climb and landing immediately. The pilot further stated that he had to maneuver the helicopter right to avoid ground personnel, level the helicopter with cyclic control, and used all available collective to cushion the landing.The helicopter was equipped with a Rolls Royce (Allison) 250-C47B, 650 horsepower turboshaft engine. Examination of the helicopter by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that it landed hard, which spread the skids and resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. Initial examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions; however, the engine was retained for further examination.

MOUNTAIN CITY, TN (WJHL) – Johnson County Sheriff’s Office officials confirmed a medical helicopter crashed in the Laurel Bloomery area of Johnson County while picking up a patient Friday afternoon.Johnson County Sheriff Mike Reece confirmed a Wellmont helicopter was picking up a patient involved in a car crash on Highway 91.The patient was loaded onto the helicopter, aircraft took off and was around 100 feet in the air when the motor reportedly stopped working.The helicopter then came back down and crashed in a parking lot near the intersection of Highway 91 and Cold Springs Road.The helicopter’s pilot was taken to a hospital.The car crash patient was later loaded into another helicopter to be flown for treatment.The following is a statement from Wellmont Health System officials in regards to the helicopter crash:WellmontOne Air Transport was dispatched Friday, June 3, to Johnson County to transport a patient.Soon after liftoff, the pilot, an employee of PHI Air Medical, which owns and operates the aircraft, identified a mechanical condition that required immediate landing. He executed emergency procedures to bring the aircraft to the ground, limiting risk to the passengers and damage to the aircraft.Another emergency medical services agency continued the patient’s transport to the hospital. Additionally, the pilot was taken to a nearby medical facility after sustaining nonlife-threatening injuries.Wellmont and PHI Air Medical are reviewing this matter to determine exactly what happened and are cooperating with all authorities. We are grateful for the quick actions of the crew, which demonstrated their extensive training, and are relieved that all are safe.”Around 5:15 p.m. Friday, Wellmont officials sent an update saying “the pilot of the WellmontOne Air Transport helicopter has been evaluated and released from the nearby medical facility where he was taken.”Original article can be found here: http://wjhl.com

According to a statement by Wellmont Health System and PHI Air Medical, the pilot identified a mechanical condition soon after liftoff. The pilot executed emergency procedures to bring the helicopter to the ground, limiting risk to the passengers and damage to the helicopter.
The helicopter was picking up an injured person from a car crash on Highway 91. An officer heard three pops and saw the helicopter coming down.The pilot sustained non life-threatening injuries and has been evaluated and released from a medical facility.The person from the car accident was transported to the hospital, but there is no word on that person's condition.A third person in the helicopter was not hurt.The crash is under investigation The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to arrive later Friday.Wellmont Health System and PHI Air Medical issued the following statement:WellmontOne Air Transport was dispatched Friday, June 3, to Johnson County to transport a patient. Soon after liftoff, the pilot, an employee of PHI Air Medical, which owns and operates the aircraft, identified a mechanical condition that required immediate landing. He executed emergency procedures to bring the aircraft to the ground, limiting risk to the passengers and damage to the aircraft.Another emergency medical services agency continued the patient’s transport to the hospital. Additionally, the pilot was taken to a nearby medical facility after sustaining nonlife-threatening injuries. Wellmont and PHI Air Medical are reviewing this matter to determine exactly what happened and are cooperating with all authorities. We are grateful for the quick actions of the crew, which demonstrated their extensive training, and are relieved that all are safe.Original article can be found here: http://www.wcyb.com

DESCRIPTION OF ACCIDENT: On landing 6/2/2016 the nose gear retracted followed by the main gear after the initial touch down resulting in a gear up landing.DESCRIPTION OF DAMAGES: Propeller Strike, engine sudden stoppage, Nose doors, All belly antennas and drain tips, Inboard hinges on flaps scraped, Exhaust pipe scraped and bent,LOCATION OF AIRCRAFT: Ephrata, Washington.Read more here: http://www.avclaims.com/N6341Q.htm

http://registry.faa.gov/N126RGNTSB Identification: GAA16CA28014 CFR Part 91: General AviationAccident occurred Thursday, June 02, 2016 in Prospect Heights, ILProbable Cause Approval Date: 08/03/2016Aircraft: STAUDACHER AIRCRAFT INC S 300, registration: N126RGInjuries: 1 Uninjured.NTSB investigators used data provided by various entities, including, but not limited to, the Federal Aviation Administration and/or the operator and did not travel in support of this investigation to prepare this aircraft accident report.The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that he landed hard and bounced. The pilot further reported that after the bounce, he knew that the left main landing gear had collapsed, and he held the left wing off of the runway until the airplane slowed and the wing stopped producing lift. Subsequently, the airplane veered off the runway to the left and collided with runway signs, which resulted in substantial damage to the horizontal stabilizer. The pilot reported that the "½ inch fine thread bolt" on the left main landing gear failed during the bounced landing.The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:The pilot's incorrect pitch control during the landing, which resulted in a hard bounced landing, and subsequent left main landing gear collapse, a runway excursion, and a collision with a runway sign.

702 HELICOPTER INC: http://registry.faa.gov/N441JLNTSB Identification: GAA16CA27914 CFR Part 91: General AviationAccident occurred Thursday, June 02, 2016 in Las Vegas, NVProbable Cause Approval Date: 08/03/2016Aircraft: ROBINSON HELICOPTER R44, registration: N441JLInjuries: 2 Uninjured.NTSB investigators used data provided by various entities, including, but not limited to, the Federal Aviation Administration and/or the operator and did not travel in support of this investigation to prepare this aircraft accident report.The flight instructor reported that during a helicopter "discovery flight" he was providing instruction to an airplane rated private pilot. The flight instructor further reported that prior to takeoff he told the pilot receiving instruction, "I am going to do the takeoff, and you can feel the controls." As soon as the helicopter entered a hover after takeoff, the pilot receiving instruction "put in strong left input" with the cyclic and would not stop after repeated instruction to let go of the flight controls. Subsequently, the helicopter's left main skid touched down and the helicopter rolled over and came to rest on its left side.The tail boom was substantially damaged.The flight instructor did not report any mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. The flight instructor reported on the National Transportation Safety Board Pilot/ Operator Aircraft Accident Report, within the owner/ operator safety recommendation section, he will not allow student pilots to touch the flight controls below 500 feet above the ground, until he is comfortable with the student.The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:The pilot receiving instruction's incorrect action of interfering with the flight controls and failure to comply with the flight instructor's commands, which resulted in a loss of lateral bank control and a rollover.

http://registry.faa.gov/N45EHNTSB Identification: GAA16CA282
14 CFR Part 91: General AviationAccident occurred Monday, May 30, 2016 in Gerlach, NVProbable Cause Approval Date: 09/22/2016Aircraft: G ELWIN HALVORSEN PA18WB/L21-180, registration: N45EHInjuries: 2 Uninjured.NTSB investigators used data provided by various entities, including, but not limited to, the Federal Aviation Administration and/or the operator and did not travel in support of this investigation to prepare this aircraft accident report.According to the pilot, prior to landing on a dry lake bed, he made one low pass to assess the area where he intended to land. He reported that upon touch down, the wheels broke through the hard layer of the landing surface and there was mud underneath. The main landing gear wheels dug into the mud and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder.The pilot reported that there were no mechanical anomalies or malfunctions during the flight with any portion of the airplane that would have prevented normal flight operations.The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for landing, resulting in a nose over.

Kathryn's Report: http://www.kathrynsreport.comThe Onaway City Council recently sat down with Presque Isle County Commissioner Bob Schell to address some concerns about the Leo E. Getz County Airport in Onaway.Onaway City Manager Joe Hefele requested Schell attend a council meeting to help get questions answered that have surfaced during several recent conversations about the airport. Schell addressed an article that had been written in the newspaper that stated the Onaway city airport may be being closed down or given to the city to operate. “It caused quite a bit of concern. I was also concerned when I read that. I am not in favor of shutting this airport down by any means,” said Schell. “The problem that we have is that only one county airport qualifies for federal grant money. The grant money has, of course, been awarded to the Rogers City Airport, which is the official county airport.” The grant money goes toward about 90 percent of any improvements that are done at that facility, with a 3-to-5 percent match from the county. Schell said he has been concerned about neglect of the Onaway airport, because it now needs more than crack sealing and patching of the runway.The runway will likely need to be resurfaced. “Our airport manager, Mike Jermeay, you probably all know, made the suggestion that maybe we should look at abandoning it, but I am not in favor of that,” said Schell.The city could consider taking over management of the airport if it could determine whether city airports are eligible for grant funding. There is no possibility that the county would change the status of the airports, making the airport in Onaway the official county airport, without having to reimburse all of the grant funding that has been given to the Rogers City airport. Schell said he has voiced his concerns to the airport authority board, and he will restate them at future meetings, to make sure they are heard.The airport in Onaway is a daylight only airport, because lighting has fallen into disrepair and no longer meets specifications.The estimate to fix the lighting and bring it up to code was more than $50,000. “Which, like I say, without federal grant money, or state grant money for that, the county didn't see any way we could afford it right now,” said Schell. The airport in Onaway gets approximately the same number of flights coming in and out as the Rogers City airport on a regular basis.However, the issue is getting pilots to go inside and sign the logbook, so the airport gets the credit for the flight. The last maintenance to the airport in Onaway was done a few years ago when it was sprayed for weeds. Now, the runway needs to be resurfaced, among other areas that need attention. Several council members stated they felt some money does need to be spent on the airport to get it back in shape and running properly.Schell said he agrees the county is responsible for the airport, and it has been neglected. There are several safety issues that need to be addressed as well.He will take the concerns voiced by the city council back to the commissioners and the airport authority and do his best to get them addressed.He also suggested one of the council members attend a county commissioner meeting to voice the council's concerns. There are two options that are available with the airport, either shutting it down or setting up a budget to pay for need repairs. “You can't leave it the way it is for much longer, so we either invest in it, or you know,” said Hefele. “So you probably need some type of a budget on it to just get it back into working order.” The Presque Isle County board is currently working on its budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which starts July 1. Schell said he is part of the Presque Isle County Finance Committee and will make sure that any money appropriated to the airports will be coming to the airport in Onaway. “We've more than spent the fair share in Rogers City, I think,” said Schell. “But like I said, the problem has been that we can't get federal funding.” Even with the money being appropriated to the airport in Onaway, there is no way all of the issues with the facility can be addressed in one year.It would be up to Jermeay to put together a budget for the work that needs to be done and to submit that to the county commissioners. Schell said the first step would be to develop a budget that outlines all of the repairs that need to be done, such as lights, runway resurfacing and tree removal, so county commissioners can get the full overview. “Whether it's done over three years or whatever, at least you have one number that you are looking at, versus doing one thing and not having any idea of how much the other things are going to cost after that,” said Hefele.Original article can be found here: http://www.cheboygannews.com

A youthful Saunie Gravely and the Veterans Air Express plane he named after his daughter.

Gaye Lyn Gravely researching her father’s 1940s air service at the Aviation Hall of Fame Library in Teterboro.

TETERBORO — Gaye Lyn Gravely leafed through the yellowed news clippings in the aviation museum library here recently, hunting for just a scrap of information about a short-lived airline her father founded that ran cargo flights out of Teterboro Airport 70 years ago.She didn’t find news she’d hoped for in the archives, but she did connect with a local aviation historian and with the leader of the Teterboro-based Aviation Hall of Fame and Museum of New Jersey.Gaye Lyn Gravely researching her father’s 1940s air service at the Aviation Hall of Fame Library in Teterboro.It was big step in a quest she’s undertaken: Filling in blanks in her understanding of her father’s past and learning about the challenges he and other World War II veterans faced adjusting to life as civilians.At the same time, her inquiries have sparked interest at the museum in adding to some of the history it tells.In 1945, as World War II wound down, her father, Saunie Gravely, a West Virginia native who’d met his New Jersey bride at the Shore, had been stationed in Newark. He kept bumping into fellow U.S. Army Air Corps veterans who’d been trained as pilots, navigators and aircraft crewman but couldn’t find work in a postwar jobs market loaded with ex-airmen.He walked into a produce company in Newark and asked the owner if he’d be interested in working with a veteran-run air service that could deliver his products quicker. The owner said yes, and so, with cash pooled together from some two-dozen of his colleagues, Gravely’s Veterans Air Express was soon up and running, and working to fulfill its motto to fly "Anything, Any Place, Any Time."At its height, the company had at least five planes transporting international cargo and even running some passenger flights from Newark to Miami.Shea Oakley, executive director of the museum, said "new entrant" companies such as Gravely’s were common in the airline industry immediately after the war, and Gravely had an advantage in running his out of North Jersey airports.There was plenty of business available. Oakley said that in the 1940s, Teterboro was the largest air-cargo airport in the eastern half of the nation. At the same time, there were lots of surplus military aircraft available and an abundance of well trained and experienced aviators and crew just out of the service.But shifts in the airline industry that included the expansion of services offered by the existing major companies put many of the smaller operations out of business. That was the likely fate of Veterans Air Express, both Oakley and Gravely said.Given the cost of running airlines today, Oakley said that the immediate postwar era was unique. "Those are historical circumstances I don’t see repeating," Oakley said.Gravely’s visit did give the director a fresh idea for the museum: an exhibit showcasing the 1940s-era of air cargo at Teterboro.Gaye Lyn Gravely got started on her research some two decades ago, when she came across a 1946 article in an air-industry trade magazine that told the story of how Veterans Air Express got its real start, with a major shipment of a couple thousand pounds of aluminum alloy products and Thanksgiving turkeys "cleaned, packed and plucked" in Louisville, Ky., for delivery to Newark. The article also gave her a real clue: the names of the original 23 veterans who started the company.Her research has continued over the years in fits and starts.Now 70, she’s pieced together military records, obituaries, airplane manifests, old photographs and anything else she can find to fill in the history of the company which operated from 1945 until either 1946 or early 1947.But still there are many blanks.She remembers her father mentioning the company when she was young, but she never realized how much it meant to him and the other employees until much later in life. Her dad went on to work as a civilian jet-engine technician and later had a string of jobs, including running a mobile-home sales company."By the time I was 5 years old, it was history," Gravely said.After he and her mother divorced in the 1960s, he became estranged from his daughter for many years. They reconnected years later, the daughter taking her father flying after she’d earned her pilot’s license.He later shared a few folders of news articles about the company, but even after his death in the late 1980s she didn’t find the time to begin real research until about a year ago.On Tuesday she met at the airport museum with local aviation historian Henry Holden — who’s written more than 40 books, including one about Teterboro Airport — to learn more about the airport at the time of her father’s company.Some of the tidbits she’s unearthed have been fascinating. She’d recently uncovered that the DC-3 airplane her father named after her, the Gaye Lyn, had gone off of the runway at Teterboro and into a ditch. Holden told her if she could track down the airplane’s construction number he could likely find out what happened to the aircraft.To date, Gravely has met with about a dozen family members of former company employees, and a handful of men who worked for the company.Each recalled their time with the service fondly, describing a feeling of optimism for its future, camaraderie with fellow veterans and real sense of ownership as many were shareholders in the company, Gravely said.Time with the company lasted such a short period in the span of their lives — perhaps one to two years — but it’s mentioned in multiple obituaries alongside military honors, church memberships and lifelong careers in other fields.She’s built a website complete with regular updates on her research, photographs and a list of names with as much information as she’s been able to find on each person.The original list of 23 names associated with the company grew to 63. At least five had connections to Bergen County: John A. Neigel of Fair Lawn, Jim O’Neill of Edgewater, Irving Rosenberg of Garfield, Michael A. Tome of Westwood and George Cannock of Edgewater.With each new research discovery, Gravely’s fascination with the era, the company and her father’s boundless ambition only grows.She flew to Prague in May to commemorate the 70th anniversary of a United Nations relief flight in which Veterans Air Express flew more than 150,000 hatching eggs on three separate flights to the city to help rebuild the nation’s agricultural economy. Pilots also flew eggs to Warsaw and cattle to Athens.The end of her research is likely years away, she said. The age of the men, many likely in their 90s, has given it more urgency. She’s unsure if she’ll write a book or pursue another way to memorialize the company and its employees.But she aims to continue mining the records and memories of people to learn about a passion that helped her grow to know her father better many years after his death,"It really started coming alive for me," she said. "It made me very proud of him."For more information on Veterans Air Express: veteransair.org. Original article can be found here: http://www.northjersey.com